For many years now most automotive service facilities have had one or more hydraulic floor jacks for elevating a wheel of a car for servicing same. These jacks typically have been mounted on wheels so they can easily be positioned under a car and have had a long straight handle connected to the jack actuating and control lever. Rotary motion of the handle has usually been used to open and close the hydraulic control valve in the jack and vertical reciprocating motion of the handle has been used to pump hydraulic fluid from a reservoir to a cylinder which raises an arm to contact and lift a car when the control valve is set to the proper position. These jacks have served the industry well for many years as long as there has been adequate clearance for the handle to be moved up and down to pump hydraulic fluid into the jacking cylinder.
Recently the newer cars have been adding skirts and fairing panels underneath the conventional car bumpers to improve appearance and performance. This has been particularly so with the sportier models. With these types of cars it is virtually impossible to move the usual floor jack handle up and down enough to pump any hydraulic fluid to raise the jack arm to lift a car.